We spotted the monohull (distinctive grey hull) we chartered from BVIYC half under water, it appeared to be in Road Town. I couldn't find the BVIYC comment that they were moved to safety, only that their boats had all been "hurricanized", not sure what that means or if it made any difference. Best wishes for all.

StormJib said:Again more marketing BS from a desktop computer and telephone with zero intellectual connection with the skilled people on the dock owning the work.

StormJib (AKA Pa_Ron and Ron Rowe), you've already been kicked off once. Why don't you just F*ck off and go away. You're nothing but a troll with no original posts. Your plagiarism will probably get this site shut down eventually.

I have a friend who has a boat with BVI Yacht Charters. He received an email from his broker (just bought the boat in May!) who said he had a call from the owner of BVI Yacht Charters saying the fleet was lost. The boats were all in Paraquita Bay and I'm sure you've all seen photos of the carnage there.

Just how much banging/bashing and squashing... can a boat take before you can no longer "trust" the hull - even if obvious damage does not show?

I'm told - this "is" an issue of raising the wonderful wrecks that have been always sitting out of view, just under the surface in many places off TortolaThe saltwater damages the invisible plywood/wood interior structure - and you can no longer trust the integrity

LittleBird said:There is plenty of misinformation floating about. Most of the BVIYC fleet was on the hard in Nanny Cay and is by no means lost.

Ok, well I am going by what my friend said was told to him. I don't want to get his hopes up but it would definitely make his day/week/year if Syros is still alive and kicking. So far not much publicly is being put out by BVI Yacht Charters except the most important thing and that is their staff is all accounted for and ok.

Just how much banging/bashing and squashing... can a boat take before you can no longer "trust" the hull - even if obvious damage does not show?

I'm told - this "is" an issue of raising the wonderful wrecks that have been always sitting out of view, just under the surface in many places off TortolaThe saltwater damages the invisible plywood/wood interior structure - and you can no longer trust the integrity

A industry standard hull is very durable. The abuse the intact hull can take is substantial. The issue for most "damaged" boats is simple economics. Boats depreciate very fast just sitting at the dock in the sun. Even a boat with little damage can cost more to fix than the boat was worth before the event. Just replacing a Diesel engine may have greater costs than the boats actual cash insured value. Then add a generator? Then multiple ac's. A mast, rigging, and new sails. Rewire everything? Any of those projects can easily approach or eclipse the real market value of the 3-5 year old boat. Then add the issues of doing anything in the islands.

If you want to worry about issues with repaired boats save the fretting for the electric gremlins that plague some boats. The hulls themselves that are not somehow crushed will be fine. They are all designed for the extreme use of sailing upwind in a seaway.

On the other hand because of the location the industry may end up crushing and shredding many sound hulls that could be repurposed or put to some other use than a restored charter boat.

During Sandy many of the insurance companies simply paid the cash value to the owners or their banks. Then put the boats in massive yards on the hard and sold and liquidated the damaged hulls "as is where is" to free the underwriters of any long term repair and hidden damage issues. Where would that yard be in the BVI to store a 1,000 or more damaged boats? The cost to ship a boat elsewhere for repairs could easily be $20k. I am betting many of these boats will be crushed and put in a hopper barge to be burned or dumped at sea. When you remove any of these clusters of boats with a crane onto a barge where does that barge go to be emptied? Lifting and loading a damaged boat can take hours of expensive crane and barge crew time. Crushing can be done in minutes. How long does the Tortola want to take to restore the bays and harbors to order? The underwriters will want to see Paraquita Bay restored and readied with a new storm plan before next June. No storm plan accepted by the underwriters and their may be a requirement to move all or many of the boats south before next June.

There is great work and project planning to be done. I hope a massive outside general contractor is hired to complete the cleanup sooner rather than later.

Sounds like a massive artificial reef/dive site in the making; Irma Reef?. I'm sure there are environmental steps to be taken to remove harmful fluids and solids but even with that expense, still probably cheaper than shipping and more beneficial than landfill.

When I try to imagine diving a field of dumped fiberglass hulls, I cannot imagine it as neat when compared to the Fearless sitting proud on the bottom. But then after a dozen years coral dressing it could look different. I guess im trying to say it will look like a garbage dump on the bottom for a long time. From another angle, will the fishes like it?

No Reef. Many of the wrecks will be auctioned off to salvors and liquidators. Those that cannot be handed off to liquidate will meet this fate into a large barge to be taken out of sight of land to be burned or dumped in deep water when no one is looking. A remote option is the piling up in a mass massive dump for a long, long, time.

What self-respecting sea creature would turn down four staterooms, a spacious salon, and an elevated helm station? I'm in New Orleans, we have very successful artificial reefs in Lake Pontchartrain and the GOM. Successful in that each has matured quickly to promote and support incredibly healthy, diverse, and beautiful marine life. Ever dive on an oil rig? Not the first thought as a source of beauty but amazingly healthy ecosystems all on their own. I don't claim to be an artificial reef expert by any means, just thinking of the mass of material that will need take up space somewhere, why not something cool and productive on an otherwise barren seabed?

Seagar said:What self-respecting sea creature would turn down four staterooms, a spacious salon, and an elevated helm station? I'm in New Orleans, we have very successful artificial reefs in Lake Pontchartrain and the GOM. Successful in that each has matured quickly to promote and support incredibly healthy, diverse, and beautiful marine life. Ever dive on an oil rig? Not the first thought as a source of beauty but amazingly healthy ecosystems all on their own. I don't claim to be an artificial reef expert by any means, just thinking of the mass of material that will need take up space somewhere, why not something cool and productive on an otherwise barren seabed?

Way too much work, way too much money, way too much time, way too much debate. The hulls will be sold and floated away by new owners or crushed into a dumpster/barge. That does not mean one or two will not end up as habitat for nature for a period of time. This is not the first storm with hundreds of hulls that must be disposed of.

The following was posted on BVI Yacht Charters Facebook page by someone who said he had been in contact Kirstie Palmer: "Update Regarding BVI Yacht Charters...We have been in touch with BVI Yacht Charters and have the following message from Kirstie Palmer...'Please tell the owners we have absolutely no contact at present but please believe us we are working on already to secure an office. We thank them for there patience at this difficult time and we have all there best interests at heart. All staff safe but we need to get them in homes at present.'Kirstie has confirmed that they will fully rebuild and hope to reopen by Christmas.This is very good news!"